Inter beat Lazio to return to summit
Reuters - Sunday 02 May 2010, 21:04
MILAN - Treble-chasing Inter Milan powered
back to the Serie A summit on Sunday with a 2-0 win at Lazio
which was bizarrely celebrated by both sets of fans.
Even though the defeat means Lazio are just five points
above the drop zone with two games to go, their supporters were
glad bitter city rivals AS Roma have slipped back to second
spot.
Lazio coach Edy Reja was adamant his side would try to win
the game but Jose Mourinho's Inter produced a fine display to
move two points clear of Roma, who beat Parma 2-1 on Saturday.
Defender Walter Samuel found the breakthrough on the stroke
of half time when he expertly headed in Wesley Sneijder's cross
to prompt cheers of joy throughout the Stadio Olimpico.
Thiago Motta then nodded in a corner in the second half to
keep Inter on course for an unprecedented Italian treble ahead
of Wednesday's Cup final with Roma and the Champions League
final on May 22.
"Two games remain and it will be tough but we've taken an
important step," the Brazilian told Sky TV, aware his side can
win their fifth straight scudetto at home to Chievo next weekend
if results go their way.
Juventus earlier suffered the latest and biggest
embarrassment of a terrible season when their slim Champions
League hopes were extinguished in a 1-1 draw at Catania.
The twice European champions, Serie A's most successful
club, have lurched from one bad result to another this term and
respite from the misery never looked likely in Sicily despite
Claudio Marchisio equalising Matias Silvestre's opener.
Beleaguered Juve lie seventh, assured of a Europa League
qualifying berth next term like sixth-placed Napoli but eight
points behind fourth-placed Sampdoria with two matches left.
SIENA RELEGATED
Samp stayed two points clear in that final Champions League
qualifying spot thanks to a 2-0 home win over relegated Livorno
with Antonio Cassano scoring a typically classy goal on five
minutes and Reto Ziegler blasting in a late free kick.
Luigi Del Neri's side are four behind third-placed AC Milan
after the Rossoneri beat Fiorentina 1-0 on Saturday.
Fifth-placed Palermo are now the only team that can catch
Sampdoria and they host them next weekend in a cracking clash.
Strikers Edinson Cavani and Fabrizio Miccoli netted as
Palermo won 2-1 at Siena to confirm the home side's relegation
after they were effectively condemned last weekend because of
their poor goal difference.
Third-from-bottom Atalanta, who missed a first-half penalty
and were reduced to 10 men for the second period, stay five
points adrift of safety after a calamitous late own goal from
Federico Peluso in a 1-1 draw with fourth-from-bottom Bologna.
Peluso sank to his knees and held his head in his hands
after he miscontrolled the ball and it ran into the net.
Conceding the freak equaliser followed a strange episode on
halftime when the referee awarded Bologna a penalty and
dismissed Maximiliano Pellegrino for protesting, then reversed
the penalty decision because the ball had been out of play.
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